Katniss VS Predator VS Aliens Finale
by CleverforClever
Summary: It's the big finale of my trilogy. Peeta is back on earth, Katniss and Gale take on a daring assination plan beneath the Capital. Will our heroes make it out? Of course not, but you'll read it anyways!
1. Chapter 1

Katniss vs. Aliens vs. Predator

A.N. I still don't own 'Hunger Games' or Predator or Aliens.

Chapter One, Under Earth

I, Peeta Mellark, am stuck in an alien pyramid underneath the Capital. There are two alien bodies on the outskirts of this massive building. They must have eroded into skeletons over time, though they have both suffered massive chest wounds. That much is obvious. I wondered where the third one was. Hunting parties go in groups of three. A predator on this planet was a scary thing. Then I realized we had already met- Buttercup.

Although the circumstances were vague, I understood what was going on right now. Somewhere out there Katniss was struggling to survive. There was no way she would quietly retire.  
Of course, it was entirely possible that she was dead, but let's be honest; who can kill Katniss Everdeen? She's a survivor.

I can die though. To my surprise, a crate was left at the bottom step of the pyramid.

Well, let's hope Katniss is in this one.

I don't know how that would go, "Gee, Katniss, what're you doing here? Oh, we're a hundred stories beneath the Capital at an ancient pyramid where alien hunters, one of which decided to fillet us, used to hunt people and some form of bug-thing, which, if I'm reading correctly, seems to eat people inside out. Want to go on a date?"

Besides, this is no place for a family. I pried the box open. The crate contained weapons. Not the dinky knives I used in the games, predator weapons. There were instructions on a stone tablet.

Seconds after putting on the armor, I turned myself invisible.

It was totally awesome. I felt like a little kid again. The whole world was open to me. I always had to be grown-up in my family. I was a quiet kid, and kept to myself. But now I could do anything, go anywhere.  
Well, not anywhere. The mask told me that I still gave off a heat signature. That was bad news.

I could be seen, and heard with the right technology. I had to find Katniss. She has probably moved on by now, which is totally understandable. I was stuck in space for months; actually, it has probably been more than a year.

I bet the quarter quell went down really well.

The mask popped up information on everything going on above me. Apparently, the districts were in rebellion, Katniss was dead, and district thirteen was back in existence.

Man, pop off-planet for a year and everything falls apart!

…Katniss, my Katniss, is dead. No, she was never mine, was she? Oh, that girl knew how I felt, but we never- well, that's in the past. My heart is in so much pain, I do not know how to deal with this.

Make no mistake; my life has always been rough, but there was ever this vision of me, and her, and a couple of kids, living a nice quiet life. I have what I need. Before the games, I was a baker, but now, armed with this equipment, there's only one thing on my mind; revenge. I felt the crushing sorrow fill my heart, but there was no time for that. There is only enough time to make them all pay.

I had to know what happened to her.

A few hours after I started my research into the events of the past year, a search team burst through the dome.  
The Capital had arrived, and I could not be happier. The blades burst from my wrists. Oh, they would pay.

Katniss

I walked the surface by myself. Mom, Prim, and Gale all went below ground in District 13. Our families survived the xenomorph invasion.

My thoughts turned to Peeta but I was unsure why. He had been gone so long. He certainly had not been the first person in my life to die, nor the last.  
What bothered me is that no one knew what had happened to him. Had he vanished from planet earth? Was he burned up by a giant laser? Was he a mutt now?

In a weird way, I felt like he was closer. When Dad died, I stopped relying on emotions; they were pointless. But now I recognized that instinct is important. The foreboding in a hunter's stomach, the manner in which we react to every sound, instinct was running my body at its highest capacity. Perhaps I may have been over-reacting, but honestly I will be not ready for whatever comes next.

"What is the worst thing that could happen?" I thought to myself, "I fight bugs _and_ predators?"

A.N. Okay, I have decided to continue my story. Read and review or no more!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two, Spring a Trap

I sulked quietly planting traps. From the mask, I could tell that there were about twenty in the first wave.

"Spread out!"

That was a huge mistake. I had that voice recorded now. Within minutes I used it to spread them out again.

Within half an hour, the entire wave was dead.

I do not know when I became a ruthless killer. Maybe it was around the time that they killed the woman I love. But slaughtering the soldiers did little to relax me. The person who murdered her- he had to die. Of course, it was only a matter of time before they realized they were not alone.  
I ditched the armor and surrendered.

My watch, one Dad gave me, counted down. I had six hours to spend figuring out whose pelt went on my wall, and then- boom. This whole place will be a smoldering wreck.

They locked me up. Good for them. Without these chains to keep me back, I would rip every one of their throats out.

Who am I becoming? And why am I speaking in monologue? Not so long ago, Katniss was alive, and we could have been together. Now? Now all I can think about is the way I will be rushing to the afterlife to see her, and all the people I am going to take with me.

Some part of me, some sweet, innocent part, wondered when I had become this way. Was it when I was sent into the arena? Was it on the Preserve? Perhaps the news of Katniss had knocked whatever remaining screws I had loose.

My guards are nervous. They should be. Something out there had slaughtered the first wave. They did not necessarily know it was me.

A man entered the camp. He was a little smaller than me, taller, but a great deal skinnier. His eyes were hungry, and he acknowledged my presence respectfully, "Peeta Mellark, welcome back to earth. My name is Herald."

He stared at me, as if he knew about all about what I had been through. Maybe he did. Maybe the Capital knew about the monsters, and did nothing to stop them. He went on about his accomplishments, listing how important this was to him, for him. Finally, he looked me dead in the eyes, and told me why I had to kill him.

"I'm the guy that raped Katniss."

He is dead. It will be bloody, it will be long.

Katniss-

I was 'part' of (forced to go to) an important briefing. Many important politicians were debating back and forth on strategy. Wars had broken out in several districts.

"The important question, President Coin, is to know where to fight this war!"

Many gray-haired men nodded their heads. I rolled my eyes. These were politicians; they did not understand, like me, how to plan a kill.

They let me have a bow. No arrows appeared yet, but it helped me concentrate. It was oiled, and tightened, but I have not been allowed to use it yet. It counted as my big important pointy stick. It was like being in a classroom of teachers who pointed to objects in the room, "Katniss," point, "Should go to each rebelling zone with a camera crew!" He pointed to the map of Panem. What a lame plan. Why would anyone want to watch me be followed by a camera crew? Boring.

Each person here had a stick they could use to point but me. Mine had been taken away for misbehavior. (These meetings were so boring! So what if someone had been poked in the eye?!)

The generals had come up with several plans; ridiculous, each one of them. Thousands dead, more dying, and the war had only begun.

"You're wrong," I growled. I grabbed the stick pointing at me and drew back my bow. The stick was implanted in the Capital, "Surgical strike. I'm the bait, and the snare. Once old President Snow finds out I'm alive and kicking, and in his city, he'll have to drop everything to find me. Their forces will be divided. I'll take Gale with me. The two of us will assassinate half of his inner-circle and you all will unite the rest of the districts. From there on, I don't care."  
Gale regarded me with careful eyes. He knew enough of what had happened with Herald not to object. It was unfair, of course. I am the friend who woke up every night screaming and crying. And no one could do anything about it. The core of my problem was Peeta, another thing that was wildly unfair.

Herald had tortured me physically, which had almost no effect. I had been in the arena; that had been truly painful. He also tortured me emotionally, but with the loss of my father and the general direction of my life, that did almost nothing as well. I was confident that I could protect Primrose from whatever Herald intended.

Then he went after me psychologically, "You don't care what happened to Peeta!" The doubt, the possibilities, that is what weakened me enough to break. If Peeta was dead; that I could take. If he was alive, then I could rest peacefully because he would be by my side. He always came for me. Instead, that unanswerable question of 'what if…' hung over my head.

Then Herald broke me. I am not ashamed to say I lost the battle. I begged for him to stop and he just _wouldn't_. Every nightmare I went back in the cage watching as he destroyed someone who looked like Prim. And every morning Prim herself hugged me sister awake, alive and well.

Doing this; assassinating those closest to Snow, it was all just a bluff to try and overcome my fear. Gale agreed to the plan even though he knew what I was really doing.

It was stupid, dangerous, and the chances that it would succeed were so miniscule, there was almost no way they could win.

So that's what the council decided to do.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three Falling

The electrodes in my flesh sizzled. With all this modern technology, it is not too shocking to find a way to cause people pain. But that's not what was killing me. Herald decided to tell the story of the week he spent breaking Katniss.

"And then, after I cleaned her up, and reattached her ears, know what I did? I peeled her skin of again!"

He laughed, "You, obviously, have been inspired by the Yautja. My inspiration comes from- well, you'll see."

His voice dropped to a whisper, "I have a tensy problem. See, the Capitol is in charge down here, so I can't do whatever I want. But in a couple of hours… well, you'll see."

A guard came in, bringing the count of soldiers up to ten, "Sir, you need to come to the medical tent. Something's happening to Bronson!"

Herald winked at me and left.

I growled out in Yautja. It's nice to know what language it is I am giving orders in. Tiny and his Flunky make their presence known. Three guards are on the ground before any of them even thinks to move. The rest are torn to shreds.

The floor is a puddle of blood. Tiny moves to release me, and then realizes this is a trap I've set. I motion with my hand. He can go have his hunt. When Herald returns, he'll see that he needs my help. The two of us will fight to stay alive, and then, when he trusts me, I am going to shred him like fresh bread.

Katniss

The hovercraft was unbelievably loud. Gale was talking about tactics, but it did matter. I was thinking only on what would happen the next time I saw _him_- Herald.

Of course, the Capitol would fall, it had to. But I would make sure to make some of the residents **suffer**.

It was my right as a victim. Still, it was hard to process that Finnick had been through the same thing. He and Joanna had volunteered. Those two were huddled in the back of the craft comparing notes.

I was lost in thoughts of revenge. President Snow was going to die, so were most of his friends. (Well… constituents, the tyrant likely did not have any friends…)

The hovercraft approached the mountains leading to the Capital. The earpiece crackled alive in my ear. The pilots were speaking, "The city is not expecting an attack this early on, so right now, we're just an unidentified aircraft," I felt a plunge of guilt in my stomach. As surprised as I was that it was the guilt was there, I was happy to still be able to feel it… at least I was not a total monster like Snow.

"Alright, we're going to drop you guys right into the heart of the Capitol. According to our intel, there's some sort of tunnel. No one knows quite how it got there… but that's not our problem. With any luck, the smoke we throw down will cover your entrance. Get down, get in, no stops, do you understand?"

I nodded. Some part of me hated aircraft after my first Hunger Games. Remembering how Peeta had dangled. For weeks I replayed it over and over in my head; maybe the alliance could have been stronger, or the plan hatched when Rue died… Why didn't it occur to me that we could get into the airship earlier?

It was pointless to go back in time and try again. Still, it was important to learn for the future. Strapping the quiver to my back, I counted through the trick arrows; explosive, acid, flame, smoke, and a few specialty ones that seemed to be too flashy for actual combat, like a foam container that inhibited movement.

I shook her head. If I had these arrows back when I was hunting… well, there would not be a forest left. Picking one up, the hunter in me studied its weight. The balance was totally off, but a real archer could compensate.

Besides my bow, I was taking along some vital equipment: extra clothes, first aid, flares, flashlight, rope, radio, and a map.

Gale had a different set of tools, and it was vital we were not separated. In some sense, I felt like this was a new Hunger Games. Me and my friend were going up against massive odds with almost no way out, and certain death around each corner. "Same old same old," I said to myself.  
Gale was nowhere near as scared as Peeta had been. And that bothered me. He did not seem to mind the thought of killing, or of being killed. Peeta had not wanted this; he was no murderer.

The dropzone timer started. Airships formed in pursuit, figuring that this was an enemy craft. Due to its small size, it obviously was not a bomber- not big enough. But the pursuing hovercrafts were ordered to take it out regardless.

I heard the first rattle of cannon fire when the clock reached '5'.

I took a breath as the world around me flipped dizzily. The pilots ripped a lunch from Gale- his vomit floated in midair as the craft found its orientation to be as fluid as Finnick's.

4

Deadly beams of light pocketed the side of the craft as enemy fire pierced the hull. Joanna's shoulder spit blood in retaliation. The chords of lead on metal brought symphony to the whole ship.

3

The back popped open. I was breathing, but it did not feel like I had enough air. It was like my circumstances stole my breath away. Far below, dozens of soldiers had already assembled around the hole. This mission was practically over before it began.

2

I jumped anyways. I had already nocked five explosive arrows into from my quiver. The smoke bombs from the ship were dropping with me, making me appear as a Valkyrie swooping down in the dying. And those soldiers were dying; they just did not know it yet.

1

The worlds rocked. Both the ship and the ground rumbled. Gale, Joanna and Finnick were caught between the falling craft and the ground. The very air trembled with the conflict. There was no time for guilt or pain or fear…


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four Freedom

I sat in my chair. Herald showed up and looked at the carnage with shock, "They're here," he whispered. We debated back and forth for a few minutes. He, understandably, did not want to let me out.

He fretted. It was almost funny; here was a guy who worshipped the horrifying power of an alien bug race of murderous creatures now cowed by a hunting party secretly working for me.

….Man, my life sucks.

Back to reality- so he's going on about how I had better not start anything when a crackle comes down from the radio. Apparently the entrance to the tunnel between the top of the Capitol and the pyramid was being attacked. He looked at me sideways.

"Sounds like your friends are here to save you, Mr. Mellark," He had a dead tone, but his fear was more than evident. He shifted and asked how big the reinforcements were. The numbers ranged between a legion and two.

I laughed. I could not help it! It had to be Katniss! Only she would be able to…

Then I remembered, "I don't know who is coming or not coming, but if you don't allow me free, when they get here, you know exactly what'll happen to you!"

Herald swallowed hard, "Maybe you could put in a good word? People liked you ever since you… you know…"  
"Died?"

"Yeah, that, but not really," he was back to business as usual, "We have to rely on one another if we expect to survive this!"

I nodded. But honestly, I did not want to survive. There was this play my teacher made us read back in school; 'Romeo and Juliet'. Horrible thing, really, it was so tragic. Romeo killed himself because his love was gone. I am no Romeo; I'll take out anyone who hurt my Katniss.

-Katniss

The grand entrance soon ended. Death and fire painted the earth and sky. Blood spilled while the world turned to ash.

I landed unceremoniously on my butt. Rolling to the side, I rubbed my buns to regain feeling. A few moments ago, I had felt ecstatic, an unstoppable super-soldier. Now I felt like lying down for a nap.

"Let's go!" Johanna was tending to her wounds. (Take this as a warning kids; Don't go out to assassinate anyone. Or jump out of exploding air transports. Or get involved in a civil war. Those are dangerous things.)

I nodded and loaded an arrow. The plan, as bad as it sounded at its conception, was to get the team on the ground right after President Snow entered the tunnel. According to the intelligence division, he had a great interest in _something_ down here. There was indication that their target had a small army parked outside ready to take him down once it was declared safe.

The briefing was short; actual information was scarce. This was what the District Thirteen spies believed; something powerful had opened a tunnel into a previously-undiscovered cavern that existed beneath the Capital. President Snow, fearing a large-scale revolution, would set up a new bunker far from the war. Important governors were already down there, so, doubtless, killing them would upset the president. The idea was to drop a team into the cave, then try and kill as many Capitol governors as possible.

Hiding inside the earth was supposed to keep the team safe. With all the havoc on the surface, no one should realize that a strike force had been dropped off. The hovercraft was outfitted with surveillance equipment. The Capitol was supposed to think this was a poorly construed reconnaissance mission. In a sense, this was not too far from the truth.

The group headed down the tunnel with very little problem. Going down, it seemed, was not difficult.

After several minutes, we came across a body. It was a soldier, killed with razor blades. I bent and examined it. I swore as well as I was capable of swearing.

"It's them," My fellow champions may not understand the terror a predator could induce.

I flipped the body over, and found a large hole in the chest as well. Everyone but Gale let out an even fouler cuss, "And _them_."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five Bodies

We stood by the bodies of the ancient predators.

"I don't understand…" What he was telling me was too ridiculous. Well, I suppose after being kidnapped, dragged across the galaxy, jacking a ride home, and finding myself in an ancient pyramid under the Capitol, 'ridiculous' is a word people like me should use sparingly.

Is there anyone else with a life like mine? I hate it. When Katniss was with me... I don't know. She made things better. It was so special. Just the two of us. What did I have after getting my vengeance? Nothing. Nothing at all.

"The serpents are free," He explained, "Long ago, the hunters created this place as a memorial to a great struggle between humans, the predators, and the bugs." Herald pointed at the busted rib cage of the skeleton, "Bugs reproduce by implanting a host with larvae. The young consume as much as possible then," He made an exploding gesture with his hands.

Wow, that was gross.

Herald looked afraid. For a moment, I felt pity for him. He was going to die a horrible death one way or another. What he did to Katniss was unforgivable. Still, being trapped in a deathtrap underground with a couple of killer monsters on the loose was a pretty poor lot to have.

We stood there a moment, and he explained what was so bad; apparently these bugs absorbed traits from their hosts. The stronger the host, the more powerful the bug.

"Out there, somewhere is a predator/xenomorph hybrid. A Predalien, if you will. And it is going to wipe out everyone here. I now understand what happened here, where that Yautja came from. Long ago, this was a Colorado city. The serpents, predators, and humans fought a great battle here. It ended with a great explosion. Then Panem rose. Around the time of the great unrest, the predators must have built the temple in memorial," He paused now considering. I did not care about the history lesson, but I was thinking deeply too.

I thought about how rewarding it would be to leave him locked in an arena with a 'predalien.'

Herald continued, "From there… The time of the great unrest was too cold for them to hunt. So there must have been a hunt during the Revolution. And it went south, it must have been a big bad hunt. A predator was implanted, but one escaped, somehow sealing the tunnel behind it, likely using a detonator and a stasis pod. Fast forward fifty years, and it wakes to find a perfect arena."

I swallowed, remembering, "What's happening now?"

"Well, they must see this new revolution as a way to restart the big bad hunt. Big Bad Hunt take three, so to speak. Aliens vs. Predators vs. Tributes, you are a Predator-killer, are you not?"

I nodded. It made sense, except for the fact that I was sent here as part of a team.

Troops scrambled around us. I wondered if they cared that their comrades in District Twelve had suffered a similar fate. How far must a person travel down the road of violence before they become equally heartless? Not that my road has been clear of death, just… it is hypocritical of them to feel nothing for the suffering of others.

My companions were stalking us. I could practically feel their recycled breath on my neck. As long as they were around, the future was set. They worked with me, and would protect me if it came to that.

A guttural scream echoed through the chamber. It sounded like one of my companions was dying. But what could take one of them down?

And how could I stop it?!

Katniss

I moved silently. The cave echoed every sound ominously. What should have been the soft sounds of careful feet on stones became a marching army. A squad of troopers could have tromped right into the group and none of us could have discerned their coming.

Smell touched them in different ways. Gale and I, used to the fresh meadows, found it foreign; our times going into caves where abbreviated. The hunters felt their senses crackle alive with the wind putting them on alert. Finnick was panicking. The open ocean was his home, and the dark depths were off-limits; that's where the predators were. Johanna did not care. She was simply counting on dying from the point in time that the mission was created.

Together the group walked in silence. Finally, Finnick had enough, "I have an idea."

The others turned to look.

"Look, the basecamp down there likely does not have proper security. Whoever is running the show will be exposed. If I am captured, they will likely take me there. Then you two can take him out with your arrows!"

Gale and I exchanged looks. Both of them wanted for this mission to succeed, but now, when the cost of victory was so clear, neither felt comfortable doing anything.

"Oh, you big babies! Let me show you how it's done!"

Johanna dragged Finnick off. Gale and I exchanged nervous looks. Maybe our mission had ended before it had even begun…


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six Escape

I walked as quietly as possible. My guards were at my sides at all times. Maybe they were terrified. It is almost impossible to tell for me; I cut off all sense of empathy for them.

Then death arrives, invisible, and cuts a person down. Herald and I are walking through a narrow trench leading up to the pyramid. We are en route to a rendezvous with a patrol. (I am surprised there are any left considering what is lurking in the shadows.) Of course, there are plenty of reinforcements to be found on the surface, but those reinforcements are in a mad scramble after being attacked.

Herald is told that a couple has been captured; A man and woman. I remember Katniss, and how we were dragged before the Capitol. Who could be so stupid as to go down into the hole? Not even the Girl on Fire would dare to do something so idiotic.

The prisoners are familiar; Johanna and Finnick. It takes me a second to think clearly. They are thrown in the trench with us. When they look up, the look of shock makes all the trouble of coming home worth it. A champion, lost to an unknowable fate, is back and working for them. They are surprised by their hope.

"Kill them," Herald has no time for surprises. He is about to ascend the steps and into the open when I stop him.

"Wait, let me talk to them!"

He looks at me suspiciously, so I explain, "right now, you are stuck in an underground cave with a predator/xenomorph hybrid running around, as well as a hunting party, and now it looks like the rebellion is making its presence known. We can use them as bait…"

Herald thinks for a moment, and then comes back down the steps, "Good thinking. You two, into the pyramid, everyone else, get ready to fire."

There is no point in trying to save them now. The best chance they have is to try and survive inside. Weapons abound in there. No doubt the two would be able to survive. I felt uneasy though.

Something is off here. They have the same attitude that I had when I was captured. Then again, I had three predators- who could they possibly expect to equal the force of that?

I got a feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was the kind that said that this was going to be a 'big bad hunt.'

Johanna and Finnick entered the pyramid.

Katniss

Johanna and Finnick entered the pyramid without me or Gale getting a clear shot. The male growled out his annoyance.

"What are they doing down there?"

Something was wrong. Gale felt it too. We exchanged glances. I blinked. For a hunter, that was all the affirmation needed.

"Gale- uh…"

"Yeah, I know."

The soft crunching of gravel was barely there, but we both heard it. On some level, we knew that something had been behind following us for several minutes. I debated our options. Only one would actually work out for either of us, "Split up."

We headed towards separate dooms.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven Hope

"Peeta, there's still hope!"

I don't know what Finnick meant, but unless my entire life has been a dream, there is no such thing as hope. Herald thought he had a chance of surviving this; he did not.

The second Johanna's foot hit the inside of the pyramid inhuman screeching sounded from inside.

"See, told you they were great bait!"

My ex-companions glared at me hostilely. Could they blame me for being right?

It was then that that _thing_ made itself known. It was as large as Buttercup, and fast; unbelievably fast for its size.

Johanna and Finnick had the reflexes to get out of its way. The soldiers were not so lucky. It whipped its tail back and forth before looking me right in the eyes. It was so ugly.

That's a dumb thought to have, but it is the awful truth. I have never seen anything nastier on this planet or the Preserve!

It glared at me, whipping a body into its enemies. The soldiers around it were distractions. It wanted me, it wanted my body.

I took off.

My armor was not too far away. It was stowed away in the event of my escape. My goal was to kill Herald or die trying, but the presence of former Hunger Games champions ruined that for me. Their lives ought not be forfeit because I was too focused on revenge.

Katniss could do it. She would have killed Herald quickly. I found the armor and slipped it on. The system booted up in seconds. Once the infrared kicked in, it showed I was not alone. Tiny was with me. We nodded to each other. He understood the new plan was to save the two tributes.

-Katniss

I was terrified. Previously, splitting up was a way for the group to evade detection. Now it just seemed like a bad horror movie when the jock and the virgin split up. My heart sunk; I was no virgin, not anymore.

Taking a breath, the tribute in me determined not to let my fears ruin the mission. Herald was talking to someone, and that someone had to die. A low clicking sounded behind me. It sounded as though the predator had decided to follow me instead of Gale. I must be the luckiest girl in the world!

Crunchy was not terribly loud, but he was not particularly subtle. I took off at a run. Nothing would be worse than having to face Crunchy. Maybe he would grow unhappy following me around!

A low hiss sounded in front of me. A bug, fully grown, dropped to the ground, teeth gleaming. Explosive arrows were out- the back blast would end us both. I picked up a fire arrow, and nocked it.

The hissing grew louder, "C'mon!"

The thing leapt. Knowing what shot to take, I let the arrow fly straight at the monster's mouth.

"See ya," I whispered. Suddenly, the bug changed direction mid-air. I blanched. The bug's tail was wrapped around the tail of another. This other one was larger, and vaguely resembled a predator. It hissed.

I swore again. One bug had saved another's life, and the fire arrow had certainly signaled my position to the troops.

I ran for my life. The thing was on mein minutes. I turned, and nocked another fire arrow. It paused, watching. Its mouth was closed, "Not this time," I growled.

An arrow struck its chest impotently. The monster purred before the shaft burst into flames.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight Headstrong

I leapt headfirst into the pyramid. Six bugs were crawling down the side passages. Where was that predator/bug hybrid?

If it was not after me, there was no reason to worry- for now. Now that I had my armor back, I could fight again. Two of the bugs crawled on the ceiling. Most predators foolishly shoot at their prey. Katniss never said that much to me, but her eyes told stories. When we were together, she would always look for the next move.

Twin plasma bursts destabilized the ceiling. Falling rocks pinned two down. Acid hissed on the earth. Okay, so that happened.

A third jumped on my back. I rolled, retracting the plasma casters. The beast went with me, snarling. We came to a stop beneath a large statue. I bashed its head into the edges on the base.

"Well, now, don't you wish that didn't happen?" It looked at me confused as its blood ate away at the stone, toppling the statue. The monster was crushed.

I turned to find the two I began with getting up. Two more blasts put them out of commission.

This was almost too easy. So much for this 'big bad' hunt.

The rest of the creatures backed off, "No, no…" I said, "Where do you think that you're going…? You work for me now!"

Corralling them with plasma blasts I set them on the camp and waited. It did not take very long. Within minutes the radio was crackling for backup. Then he spoke over the radio. I recognized him from the countless announcements he made keeping me from living in peace with my family, "Herald, we are coming down in force. I will see you straight away."

President Snow was bringing his most powerful fighting force down into this melee. I laughed.

Why did that fill me with happiness?

Katniss

I was all alone. The run from the monster took me right into a squad, leading me to surrender to them immediately. It did me no good. The beast followed me, burning to death, and obliterated all of them. Gale had come running when he heard I was in trouble. He tried to fight against it.

It ripped him in half.

I ran. The snarling monster was making a puree of the troops. An explosion of guts dressed my back. I ran.

It was all over- this was stupid, I was stupid. I just got my best friend killed.

Where could the hunted girl go? There was no safe place anymore. District Twelve had been demolished. District 13 had no interest in attacking the Capital- for now anyways.

My back-up was gone, and I, Katniss Everdeen, was alone in the dark. My breath came up short. Hyperventilating, I ran into my worst nightmare; Herald.


End file.
